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Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of anthropomorphism in social media advertising and the impact on intention to engage in particular behaviors among young adults. In the main experiment (N = 304), a 3 (Anthropomorphism: Anthropomorphic Character vs. Brand Anthropomorphism vs. Control) × 2 (Message Appeal: Utilitarian vs. Hedonic) between-subjects experiment design was used. The findings of the experiments were three-fold. First, consistent with previous findings, the human-like features in the ad elicited positive brand outcomes (i.e., attitude toward the ad and brand), and positive brand outcomes led to a higher intention to engage with the brand. Second, anthropomorphic cues induced perceived social connectedness, increasing both socializing motivation and behavioral engagement intention. Third, an interaction effect between anthropomorphism and message appeal emerged. The findings indicate that the emotional benefits of the ad enhanced the effect of the presence of anthropomorphism; thus, the combination of anthropomorphic cues and hedonic message appeal positively correlated to the intention to engage with the brand.